Class Experiments

Though many activities were incorporated in parts I, II, and III, our Biology class completed many more experiments that have gone undocumented. Listed below are more of the forensic tests we completed to gain knowledge about analysis of crime scene investigations:

·         Lipstick Experiment: All students applied lipstick to their lips and placed a notecard against them to collect the print of their lips for analysis. By doing so we were able to observe lip ridges, lines, and shapes. Students could identify if their lips were dry or healthy just from looking at the prints. Observing my print informed me that my lips are healthy, have a slight ridge in my upper lip, the lines in my upper lip slant toward the center and the lines in my bottom lip are straight, and my bottom lip is larger than my top lip. There are more defining characteristics in lips than people realize!

·         Witness Experiment: Working in groups of four, students were instructed to cut out faces from magazines provided by the teacher. Once the faces were cut out the students had to cut out the eyes, lips, nose, and hair of their face. After completing that task they had to attempt putting their face back together, then add all the pieces to a pile in the center of the table and try to find all the pieces that go to the correct face again. My group cut out pictures of girls with all brown eyes and brown hair which proved to be difficult, but in the end we were all able to put our faces back together. This activity showed us the importance of recognition when investigating crimes and provided practice in remembering specific features of faces.



·         Footprint Experiment: For this test, students collected dirt in bins to simulate a crime scene investigation involving the collection and analysis of footprints. In groups of four, students embedded their footprints into the dirt and analyzed the length, width, and indentions left behind of each group member’s foot. Xena McDonald (http://xmcdonaldforensics.blogspot.com/) and Matthew Stanbury (http://mstanburyforensics.blogspot.com/), two of my three group members (Marissa Morrison being the third) both wore Converse tennis shoes, which have distinct patterns on the bottoms which allow them to be easily recognized. Due to the fact that their shoes belong to the same distributor it was be hard to identify which person the footprint belonged, but because of their gender differences Xena’s foot was smaller in length and width, which informed us that her footprint belonged to a female. Males tend to have larger feet than females which helps forensic experts identify genders in criminal investigations. Completing this assignment taught us what to look for and how to identify differences in footprints.

·         Drug Analysis: Through the use of simulated drugs, our class used chemicals to identify “cocaine”, “LSD”, and “methamphetamine” in groups of four. Six simulations were set up around the classroom for groups of four to test and “drug” indicators were placed on counters nearby. Students rotated around the room and added samples of each simulation to a beaker filled with approximately 25 mL of water and mixed as thoroughly as possible. They then added a few drops to the dishes provided and tested the pH of each sample and added indicators (after cleaning the dish and adding more of the sample) to identify which drug the sample was simulating. After testing each simulation students were able to identify which simulations could be identified as cocaine, LSD, or methamphetamine. By completing this experiment we were able to understand how detectives, police officers, and forensic experts identify drugs at crime scenes.

·         Poison Lab: When conducting this experiment, students were instructed to rotate around the lab in groups of four to analyze six different substances and determine if they were “poisonous”; if the substances were in fact simulating poisons, students had to identify their classification (cyanide, household cleaning product, aspirin, sugar, iodine, metal poison). Indicators were placed on the counters located near the groups which were stationed near the sinks for quick clean-ups and increased safety (some chemicals may have been harmful when contact is made). After testing and classifying each “poison”, students researched different poisons, uses of poisons in crime scene investigations, and the handling of poisons in crime labs. From this experiment my group members and I learned how to test poisons found at crime scenes and the important role they play exposing criminals and bringing them to justice.

 

 

Pictures taken by:

Katharine Frazier (http://kfrazierforensics.blogspot.com)

Charlotte Castellano (http://ccastellanoforensics.blogspot.com)

Marissa Morrison

Casey Wenner (http://cwennerforensics.blogspot.com)

Crime Scene Investigation

In class simulated crime scenes were set up for students to solve together in groups. Based on the evidence left at the crime scene, this is what my group and I concluded:


Lucas Moore, a depressed psychiatric patient, took his dog for a walk. When walking through a field in a wooded area he came across Sandra O’Conner, a homeless drug addict who possessed cocaine dealt to her by drug possessor Jet Trong. After making contact with Sandra, Lucas decided to try cocaine with her and after injecting the drug into their veins Sandra overdosed. Panicking, Lucas forged a suicide note in the hopes that he would not be suspected of involvement or caught for use of illegal drugs. He walked away from her body and took his dog back home. Sandra’s body was found about two weeks later in the state of active decay.

 

Setting:

·         Outside

·         In a field

·         In a wooded area

Evidence:



·         Ripped Note: “Please forgive me! I love you all.” Word choice leads us to believe that this was a suicide note, but it was not Sandra O’Connor’s handwriting—it matched Lucas Moore’s handwriting characteristics perfectly. The note was note well-forged which was an obvious indication that Moore wrote a fake suicide note.

·         Hair: After analysis and comparisons under the microscope, we concluded that the hair belonged to an animal, specifically a dog. With this conception we determined that Lucas Moore was walking his dog, which brought him into the woods and lead him to Sandra O’Connor.

·         Fingerprint: One of the fingerprints found at the scene was a plain arch, which matched the print of Lucas Moore. He was the only suspect to have this specific fingerprint, informing us that he was definite character in our case. Another print found was a double loop, linking us to Jet Trong, the drug possessor that dealt the cocaine to Sandra. The third fingerprint found, an ulnar loop, matched the fingerprint of Sandra O’Connor, the homeless drug addict whose dead body was found at the scene of the crime.

·         Fiber: A small, black thread was found at the scene of the crime and after further analysis we concluded that the strand came from a wool sweater. Wool tends to be a very warm fiber, indicating the crime may have occurred during a cold season or at night.

·         Body/Maggots: At the crime scene a skull covered in maggots was found decomposing. The maggots covering the skull indicated that the body died two weeks prior due to its state of active decay.

·         Footprints: Two different types of footprints were found at the scene of the crime. They were both tennis shoe footprints, but the patterns from the bottoms of the shoes did not match. The victim’s footprint was smaller than the footprint found walking away, leading us to believe the victim was female and the person walking away from the scene was male.

·         Possible Poison/Syringe: After further analysis of the substance that could potentially be poison, test results showed that the substance was cocaine, an illegal drug. We deduced that the syringe found at the scene of the crime was used by Sandra and Lucas to inject the drugs intravenously into their systems.

Thanks to Sara Ward (http://swardforensics.blogspot.com) for taking these forensic pictures.